How did you guys get into PC gaming ?

[omega 616]

Had a console for years, realized there were games on the PC I'd like to play, so I got my brother build me one.

Prefer the simplicity of a console but I like steam 'cos sales.

I just can't get behind PC gaming 'cos of the fiddling you sometimes have to do with it, like I tried to play borderlands pre-sequal but I had a black 2 inch vertical bar on the left side of my screen and missing 2 inches on the right (I couldn't see the box that is ticket when you complete a mission). Tried changing the resolution in game, which didn't help. Tried changing the resolution of windows, that's didn't help. Tried changing the resolution in catalyst control centre and it finally worked.

You know what I did to fix the same problem on console? Nothing 'cos it never happened!

That rant brought to you 'cos the OP said master race ...

 

[NPC009]

My parents had a Commodore 64 and it's not like it was good for much other than playing games on. I don't count that as my starting point, though. Sure, we always had atleast some sort of (old) personal computer at home and there were always games within reach, but consoles and handhelds were much more convenient. For me, the game changer was a combination of Steam and the influx of indie games. My laptop is a complete piece of shit according to pretty much all the PC master race folks who felt it needed their judgment, but I'm having a grand time with all those affordable, lovely, quirky games with low/non-existent system requirements.

 

[jademunky]

I've been a pc gamer since Jumpman on my dad's IBM PC Junior. I think I was about 7 at the time. Have also been a console gamer in the snes and later ps2 days but mostly pc.

 

[sky pies]

School computer. I discovered this.

[...]

The joy.

Due to being from a not exactly rich family,didn't get my own computer for a long time. First game I personally owned for PC was...

[...]

And I have never looked back.

I approve mightily of both of them!

For me, I played PC games because it was all that was available. My parents weren't poor, but they couldn't comfortably support the four kids that they decided would be a good idea (so glad they did, I'm the youngest), so a console was out of the question.

The first games I got to play were... Gex (trial), Diablo (trial) and the full version of Age of Empires, these three games having come with the first PC our family ever owned. Not long after my brother brought over a burnt copy of Fifa World Cup 1998. After that it was all just demo discs from 'PC Powerplay' magazine, before I eventually moved to Germany and had a chance to play some better games.. the first one of that collection being the wonderful and relaxing Airport Inc.

 

[votemarvel]

The first games I'd played were on a BBC Micro back in my school days, after that it was always on school computers. It wasn't until many years later that I bought my first computer, a HP Brio BA600, that you could say I became a PC gamer proper.

I remember my Brio fondly, it was a rugged little machine that did well in games once I added a dedicated graphics card. I also remember how I paid way too much for it. I suppose walking into my local computer store and declaring "I want a computer!" was not the wisest of things to do.

 

[PrimitiveJudge]

I grew up with one since the 80's. My first game was Quest for glory 1. That whole typing for commands got me addicted to the keyboard and taught me a ton of shortcuts with a combination of keys. After that I was obsessed with upgrading my system to match or over take anything. Then I lost money in 2012 and stuck with Xbox ever since. I will never go back anytime soon

 

[maxtiggertom]

I grew up with one since the 80's. My first game was Quest for glory 1. That whole typing for commands got me addicted to the keyboard and taught me a ton of shortcuts with a combination of keys. After that I was obsessed with upgrading my system to match or over take anything. Then I lost money in 2012 and stuck with Xbox ever since. I will never go back anytime soon

If I may ask how did you "lose money"? if it's too personal then sorry I asked

 

[FalloutJack]

I splurged on an Alienware laptop and installed Steam. Nothing special. Yeah, I'd played PC games earlier, but I hadn't really sunk that much money into it until later.

 

[Joccaren]

Mother played Civ Net on her old crappy laptop, and I started playing with her. From there I was mostly a console player, with the N64 and PS1 and games like DK 64, Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, and all the Rare classics, and stayed on during PS2 era for a while too, but started switching back to primarily PC. Less hassle, much easier to just sit down and play rather than trying to move the whole family around so that they can all watch their 3 different TV shows and I can play my games in the main family room.
Come PS3, I was already pure PC player. Better experience, easier, more portable with my laptop, and so many games that just don't exist on consoles.

So, most of my life I've been a PC player, but only over the last two useless gens of consoles have I been pretty much exclusive.

 

[mizushinzui]

I mainly got into PC gaming because of my Dad I think.

My parents split up at the age of 5 (EDIT: I was 5, not my parents )and one of my few memories of my dad before that is sitting in his office playing the monkey island fighting scenes with him. Then as I got older it was when I was visiting him and saw he had a game called LOOM on his PC that looked amazing and low and behold it was truly stunning. He also had a bunch of those game you'd get free in PC magazines like dukenukem and Jazz Jackrabbit, so many floppies.

Because I spent most of my money on consoles I relied on my PC for primarily old DOS games I had played so I didn't really get into modern PC gaming until I got a laptop capable of running at least some of the more basic modern titles, then again it become a lot easier with the indie explosion on steam.

Now-a-days I actually have a pretend decent rig that is capable of running most things.

 

[Kerg3927]

Played D&D as a kid in thearly 80's, mostly by myself, because I lived out in the country and didn't know any other kids interested in that type of thing. Also read Tolkien and other fantasy novels. Started gaming with a 2600 and a TRS 80 (Dungeons of Daggorath ftw). Anyway, I wanted to play more involved fantasy RPG type games. I played King's Quest at a friend's house and fell in love with it. Also really wanted to play the Zork games I saw at bookstores. Finally convinced my dad to buy my brother and I a Tandy 1000 because we needed it for school. But it was pretty much all for gaming, starting out with mostly Infocom and Sierra games.